A Zack Snyder's Justice League spinoff movie starring Atom was pitched to Warner Bros. by the director. More than three years after a version of Justice League that was heavily reshot by the studio and Joss Whedon hit theaters, fans around the world finally have access to see the fabled Snyder Cut. The four-hour R-rated superhero blockbuster is streaming on HBO Max and completely restores Snyder's original vision for Justice League and adds to it with new scenes featuring Jared Leto's Joker and more.
The release of Zack Snyder's Justice League gives fans a glimpse of what could've been if the director didn't leave the DC Extended Universe. The movie is the third entry in a five-film arc that Snyder has long envisioned. These plans shifted over time as the stories of individual films changed and the DCEU slate grew to include solo films for Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. All of these movies would've originally fit into the overall story Snyder had planned, and he wanted to do much more. This includes the idea of a solo movie for Atom.
In a new interview with EW, Zack Snyder discussed the ending of Zack Snyder's Justice League and what he previously had planned for the DCEU beyond it. This included questions about other DC heroes who could have suited up in future installments. One of them teased in Zack Snyder's Justice League is Ryan Choi aka Atom, played by Ryan Zheng. According to Snyder, he even pitched Warner Bros. about doing an Atom spinoff after Justice League.
I had been pitching Warners to do an Atom movie with him in China, like a Chinese-cast superhero movie. That was my goal.
Ryan Choi is one of many characters added back into Zack Snyder's Justice League who were removed from 2017's theatrical cut. He has a supporting role in the movie as a member of STAR Labs and is an expert in nanotechnology. The movie doesn't directly reference him working on a suit that can change his size, but his presence alone is enough to tease that he could've become a hero in the near future. It's unclear exactly when Snyder started talking to WB about making Atom, but the discussions do not appear to have generated much traction as no writer, director, or plans for the movie were ever rumored before.
If Snyder had his way and Atom was made, it could've become the first major Hollywood superhero movie with a Chinese lead. Marvel Studios is set to break that barrier later this year with the release of Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. Still, it would've been intriguing to see what the story of Atom could've become and how the film tied to Snyder's larger plans. Ryan Choi going to China is a very different path than what is teased for him at the end of Zack Snyder's Justice League. With Snyder likely planning to use Atom in future Justice League sequels, a solo film would have been a great way to flesh out the character and his powers ahead of him fighting alongside the rest of the League.
Source: EW